diff --git a/build-scripts/labels.txt b/build-scripts/labels.txt
index af71b27fc..97f4bc2e6 100644
--- a/build-scripts/labels.txt
+++ b/build-scripts/labels.txt
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ PACKAGES_HUB_x86_64_linux_ubuntu_22
 PACKAGES_HUB_arm_64_linux_ubuntu_22
 PACKAGES_HUB_x86_64_linux_ubuntu_24
 PACKAGES_HUB_arm_64_linux_ubuntu_24
+PACKAGES_HUB_x86_64_linux_ubuntu_26
+PACKAGES_HUB_arm_64_linux_ubuntu_26
 
 PACKAGES_x86_64_linux_debian_12
 PACKAGES_arm_64_linux_debian_12
@@ -32,5 +34,7 @@ PACKAGES_x86_64_linux_ubuntu_22
 PACKAGES_arm_64_linux_ubuntu_22
 PACKAGES_x86_64_linux_ubuntu_24
 PACKAGES_arm_64_linux_ubuntu_24
+PACKAGES_x86_64_linux_ubuntu_26
+PACKAGES_arm_64_linux_ubuntu_26
 
 PACKAGES_x86_64_mingw
diff --git a/ci/cfengine-build-host-setup.cf b/ci/cfengine-build-host-setup.cf
index b832f6118..c4e148787 100644
--- a/ci/cfengine-build-host-setup.cf
+++ b/ci/cfengine-build-host-setup.cf
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ bundle agent cfengine_build_host_setup
 
       "shellcheck" comment => "not sure why only ubuntu-20 needed this.";
 
-    debian.(!debian_13.!debian_12.!ubuntu_22.!ubuntu_24.!ubuntu_25)::
+    debian.(!debian_13.!debian_12.!ubuntu_22.!ubuntu_24.!ubuntu_25.!ubuntu_26)::
       "python" comment => "debian>=12 and ubuntu>=22 only has python3";
 
     debian.(!debian_9.!debian_10.!debian_11.!ubuntu_20.!ubuntu_18.!ubuntu_16)::
diff --git a/ci/setup-cfengine-build-host.sh b/ci/setup-cfengine-build-host.sh
index 44334fd62..15343f6c9 100755
--- a/ci/setup-cfengine-build-host.sh
+++ b/ci/setup-cfengine-build-host.sh
@@ -60,8 +60,13 @@ function cleanup()
   set -ex
   if command -v apt 2>/dev/null; then
     # workaround for CFE-4544, remove scriptlets call systemctl even when systemctl is-system-running returns false
-    rm /bin/systemctl
-    ln -s /bin/echo /bin/systemctl
+        # Replace systemctl with a no-op stub that always succeeds. We can't
+        # symlink to /bin/echo (or /bin/true): on Ubuntu 26 coreutils is the
+        # single multi-call uutils binary that dispatches on argv[0], so it
+        # would fail with "coreutils: unknown program 'systemctl'".
+    rm -f /bin/systemctl
+    printf '#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n' > /bin/systemctl
+        chmod +x /bin/systemctl
     apt remove -y cfengine-nova || true
   elif command -v yum 2>/dev/null; then
     yum erase -y cfengine-nova || true